Joe Mazzulla Shares His Thoughts on NBA Pre-Season Games

The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship in 2024, but last year they fell short in their quest to go back-to-back. Now, the organization is changing rapidly. That comes on the back of an injury to Jayson Tatum that could keep him out for the entirety of the 2025–26 regular season, as well as some of the changes that they made resulting from the injury.

However, the season rolls on regardless of what happened to the Celtics, with their regular-season opener approaching what could be a very interesting year. With Joe Mazzulla at the helm, there's always optimism in Boston, and in a recent interview, the talented coach shared his opinions on preseason games.

“I’d rather have no preseason games and practice every day. I hate preseason games.”

This is an opinion shared by many fans, as preseason games often don't give enough insight into things for those fans, but with teams needing to evaluate players and their plays, this is something that's going to continue for years to come.

If Mazzulla had his way, however, there would be no games until the regular season—just practices—and given the way he reportedly runs practice, that may be the best-case scenario for the Celtics head coach. Ultimately, things aren't going to be changing in the NBA anytime soon, so as much as Mazzulla wants things to, we'll be having preseason games for a long time to come, no matter how pointless they may seem to him.